The Northwestern University Cello Ensemble has been recognized by The New York Times on a list of the “Best Classical Music Recordings of 2015.”

Led by Bienen School professor of cello Hans Jørgen Jensen, the ensemble recorded “Canticles of the Sky” on John Luther Adams’ album “The Wind in High Places.” The album, which The New York Times classical music team called “mesmerizing,” also features recordings by JACK Quartet.

The album also received recognition from The New Yorker in a list of “Notable Performances and Recordings of 2015.”

Established in 2014, the Northwestern University Cello Ensemble performs and records works by classical and contemporary composers. Members include all current cello students of the Bienen School of Music. The ensemble’s recording of “Canticles of the Sky” also featured select high school students who study privately with Professor Jensen, as well as some alumni of the Bienen School.

“The transcendental beauty of these four canticles immediately struck me, and the work kept lingering in my mind,” Jensen said of his first time hearing the piece. “After a few weeks, I realized that it would be perfect for a cello ensemble due to the cello’s vocal qualities.”

Jensen wrote to Adams asking for permission to perform the work, and later the ensemble was offered the opportunity to record the piece for Adams’ album.

Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Luther Adams received the Bienen School’s Michael Ludwig Nemmers Prize in Music Composition in 2010. The $100,000 award honors classical music composers of outstanding achievement who have significantly influenced the field of composition. Other winners of the biennial prize include Esa-Pekka Salonen (2014) Aaron Jay Kernis (2012), Kaija Saariaho (2008), Oliver Knussen (2006) and John Adams (2004).

To commemorate the opening of the Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Center for the Musical Arts, 80 Bienen School musicians performed John Luther Adams’ work “Sila: the Breath of the World” on the south lawn of the Ryan Center in late September.

See the full list of the “Best Classical Music Recordings of 2015” from The New York Times. 

Photo by Alissa Zhu Photography